Texas Forever (The Tylers of Texas 6)

“I’m impressed with your foreman. He’s a good man.”

“Sky’s the best. He taught me everything I know about horses.” Her smile was like the sun coming out. Even with her face bare

of makeup and her eyes still showing traces of tears, she was beautiful.

For the next forty minutes, she watched him clean, trim, and shoe each hoof while she soothed the restless stallion and asked questions about the work in a manner that was as businesslike as she’d promised.

“All done. Good boy.” He patted Tesoro’s shoulder, then turned to Erin. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you ride him. That way, I could check his gait and make sure the balance is perfect.”

“Would you like to ride with me later today?” she asked. “I want to visit the spot where Jasper had his so-called accident and see if there’s anything the sheriff and his deputy missed. I have my suspicions about what happened, but without proof, there’s nothing I can do. It’s not very far, only about a mile from here.”

“That sounds intriguing,” he said. “Of course, I’ll go with you. After what we saw last night, there’s no way I’d feel good about your riding out there alone. I’ll trim and shoe the other stallions and ride one of them.”

“They’re both easy to handle. Unless you need my help, I’ll put Tesoro away and finish cleaning out the duplex. When I’m all done, I’ll check back with you.”

Luke watched as she led her horse back to the barn. Spending so much time with Erin wasn’t a good idea, he told himself. Forbidden lust aside, he enjoyed her. She was smart, funny, and totally natural. But the voice of caution was telling him to back off. Spending time with her, especially alone, was flirting with trouble. Whether he liked it or not, he was beginning to care for her. If he didn’t put a stop to it, the time would come when caring for her wouldn’t be enough.

Later today, he’d be riding with her to where her old friend had wrecked his ATV. He’d be fighting temptation all the way, but he couldn’t let Erin go alone. One man had died in the scrub land beyond the heart of the ranch. A subtle sixth sense warned Luke that the danger could still be out there, waiting.

* * *

Jasper had been laid to rest in the old country churchyard, his grave decorated with wildflowers and blessed with prayers. Now, with Will at the wheel, Rose in the passenger seat, and Sky dozing in the rear, the pickup was headed for home.

This, Rose decided, would be as good a time as any to broach the subject of her land. She cleared her throat. “I didn’t want to bring this up until after the burial, but we need to talk about that parcel on the creek.”

The subtle tightening of Will’s mouth told her he wasn’t surprised.

“That land still belongs to me,” she said. “When I married Tanner and went off to Wyoming, Bull promised to take care of it. I haven’t seen the place, but going by what Erin told me, I’d guess that promise hasn’t been kept.”

Will’s chest rose and fell in a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, Rose. My father’s been gone a long time. And there’ve been some rough years between then and now. I never meant to let the place go to seed like it has, especially your grandpa’s grave. But the truth is, I’ve had more pressing things to worry about, like keeping the cattle alive and the ranch solvent—and watching cancer take my wife.”

Rose laid a hand on his arm, remembering what a serious, responsible young boy he’d been. In her eyes, he hadn’t changed that much. “I understand, Will,” she said. “I’m not trying to cast blame. The situation is what it is. But I’ve been doing some serious thinking—and I’ve concluded that it’s time for me to take my property back.”

“What the—?” Will flinched, causing the truck to swerve slightly. “Damn it, Rose, we’ve got to have that creek water. The ranch can’t survive without it.”

“I know. I signed an agreement with Bull that the Rimrock would always have access to the water. But you can fill your tank from the creek without running cattle all over my property. All you need to do is bury the pipe and install a couple of valves, so you can turn it on at the tank. It shouldn’t take a genius to figure that out. That piece of land was beautiful once. I want to make it beautiful again.”

Will was silent. Rose could almost feel him weighing her words, letting them sink in before he spoke.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying? That you want to live on your land?”

“Why not? Because it didn’t work out the first time? Things have changed, Will. I’m not running from the cartel. The Prescotts are gone. And I’ll have access to money now. Tanner built us a nice home in Wyoming. His brother has married children coming back to the ranch. He’s asked me about selling the house to him for cash. I can pay to have a pretty little cabin built, with a place for a garden and animals, and a good, stout fence to keep out your cattle.”

Will didn’t reply. Rose studied his stubborn profile as he drove. She should have known that he wouldn’t have an easy time accepting her news. His first reaction would be to see it as a threat to the Rimrock.

“Be happy for me, Will,” she said. “Living on my grandpa’s land was my dream once. Now I can make it come true. And you won’t be losing anything. The land was never yours. You’ll still have the water—and we’ll be neighbors.”

“Not if I lose the Rimrock, which is going to happen if I can’t make that bank payment. The syndicate would buy the place in a minute, like they did the old Prescott property. But that’s not what I want. My grandfather, the man I’m named for, literally gave his life to keep this land for his descendants.”

“I know,” Rose said. “Jasper told me the story, how he chose to die of cancer rather than sell the Rimrock to pay for treatment that could have saved his life.”

“And Bull? Lord, my father would rise out of his grave and haunt me if I lost this place.”

“Having known Bull, I’d almost believe he could do that. But, Will, if you’re that desperate, I’d be happy to loan you—”

“Oh, no! No! Rose, I wouldn’t think of taking your money. That’s not who I am.”

“Then what about Beau? I know how things are between the two of you, but he’s not heartless. He never meant for this to happen.”